Oakland7232

Horrible Experience on Accutane - Still Having Side Effects - San Francisco, CA

Jjbiz that's great that the drug is working for you and you don't have serious side effects. I agree that different people react very differently to different drugs. I do have reactions to many other medications I have taken in the past and my body seems to be sensitive. My issue with taking this drug is that doctor's (usually dermatologists or their assistants) who prescribe this medication do so on a whim (at least where I live) and do not know the full side effects that can occur to some people. Once I brought up Accutane with my regular doctor and she was able to do some research (since at first she knew nothing about it) she was horrified that I was even on it, especially since my acne was not severe. However, I agree that the majority of people do not have this type of reaction while on the drug from the research I have done. Also my severe symptoms did not start until a few months into taking Accutane so please monitor your symptoms to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary is happening to your body. Like I said in my first post:

"I’m not against Accutane. I think it could do wonders for people with severe acne but it should not be a drug that’s taken lightly. People need to realize that some of the more severe effects occur more frequently than you think and happen to people that are generally healthy."

I was never given any warning that anxiety and depression are actually closely linked and doctors frequently use the same medication to treat both. There are no warnings for Accutane about anxiety at all actually although I have read many posts about people experiencing severe anxiety while on the medication (panic attacks). Although I didn't have any issues with depression while on the drug my anxiety issues became completely overbearing and remained so for almost a year after I stopped taking the medication.

Obviously for every person that has a reaction and writes about it online there are tens or hundreds that do just fine and don't write anything, which is why you only generally hear about very positive or negative comments online.

Just as an update, I feel completely fine now. I don't ever have panic attacks any more and my hair has completely grown back. I feel like I'm back to the way I was before I started this medication. On a positive note my acne completely cleared up.

As for you going to the bathroom more at night I would assume this is due to you drinking more water during the day or before bed. If you don't have any other symptoms then that's great. If you notice that your pee is becoming very dark and you are drinking enough water during the day you need to talk to your doctor right away because this could be an indication of kidney damage.

Good luck and I truly hope you get rid of your acne forever :o)

I have been to a cardiologist, ENT specialist, my regular doctor, and my dermatologist since this has began. They all ran intensive and expensive tests and have yet to find something. Everyone says it's anxiety or allergies but they offer no cause. If your neurologist does find something PLEASE let me know what it is so I can be tested for the same thing since my doctors are stumped and really don't know what to look for.

The appetite is probably related to the anxiety and it's probably just a toxic shock symptom to the drug. I'm very happy to hear you are off the drug and I hope things will get better for you as they have for me over the last few months. Hang in there! Also a few months after getting off the drug I noticed my hair starting to shed like crazy but this has now slowed. I think it may be related to the anxiety. If this happens to you don't freak out since from everything I've read this is a fairly common symptom and should go away as the panic attacks and anxiety go away.

I think it could definitely be the drug and you should get off of it. You should also discuss this with your doctor and dermatologist to see what they think. Some studies suggest that Accutane reduces your levels of serotonin in the brain which is why it has been linked to depression. Depression and anxiety though are closely linked but there's no warning on the Accutane pamphlet about this so some doctors don't even know this. For this reason many of the same drugs used to treat depression are also used to treat anxiety. Ever since I've gotten off the drug the panic attacks have been going away and I am generally feeling better.

Ask your doctor about Ativan or clonazepam, these have helped me tremendously to deal with the symptoms. Basically when you start feeling like you are getting a panic attack you take one of these and it relieves the symptoms within 10 min. If you are having these symptoms frequently then get off the Acuttane and see if the symptoms go away. If they do then you know it's the drug. For me it's taken over 6 months to not have a panic attack almost on a weekly or daily basis but as soon as I stopped taking Accutane I did noticed immediately that I was feeling better. You can also go on a daily anti-anxiety medication to prevent the panic attacks from happening. I haven't because I don't want to be on any more drugs but it's something my doctor recommended.

Also if your acne is not disfiguring you really should not be on this drug. In my research I've found out so many things that, had I known, would have never taken the drug. Did you know it's used for chemotherapy for some head and neck cancers? This is not a light drug. Dermatologist prescribe it way too frequently for non severe cases.

I feel horrible for you because I know what you are going through. I had several panic attacks at work and not only was it embarrassing but also one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever had. Some things that helped me in my recovery:
-drink plenty of water (like more than 8 cups a day)
-avoid foods that have vitamin A in it since Accutane is a vitamin A derivative (interestingly enough vitamin A is only effective at treating skin conditions at toxic levels and some people can handle this fine and others can't)
-hit the gym. Do a 20-30 min session of cardio 4-5 times a week to help your body deal with the anxiety (don't over do it though or push yourself too much because you don't want your body to freak out).
-I also tried to do colon cleanses and elimination diets but they pretty much did nothing.

As time has gone on since this first happened I've learned to recognize the signs that I am going to have a panic attack: feeling cold or shaky, my mind feels hazy like I'm in a fog and can't concentrate, there's a lump in my throat, I start to just feel like I have the flu, sometimes there's numbness or pressure on my face, then my heart starts racing, and I feel like I can't breath. Hopefully you'll start to recognize the symptoms and just tell yourself you are having a panic attack and nothing is really wrong with you. It's helped me to think about all the times this has happened before and nothing has happened to me. Not once did I faint or stop breathing. Just know this is your body over reacting.

Hope this helps...